Hot and dry weather plagued much of the nation during this past week. Mounting rainfall deficits and declining topsoil moisture caused deepening drought in many areas. Some scattered small areas did see enough rain though to lead to some improvements,

West
While a hot weather pattern gradually saw increasing cloudiness and showery weather, the West remains deeply entrenched in drought. There were several episodes of notable weather events that occurred in the West. The most significant was a thunderstorm-fueled haboob on August 25th in Phoenix, where winds gusted up to 70 mph. This led to near-zero visibility in blowing dust and major travel and electrical disruptions.

One of the hardest hit areas in the West is Washington State, where the entire state is in some form of drought. Conditions are getting worse, with severe to exceptional drought (D2–D4) coverage jumping from 68-percent to 79-percent just this past week. Some of the worst agricultural conditions in the U.S. are noted in recent weeks across Washington. Around 47-percent of the state's rangeland and pastures were rated in very poor to poor condition. Washington also led the nation with 57-percent of its barley and 53-percent of its spring wheat rated very poor to poor.

Severe to exceptional drought (D2–D4) continues across California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Monsoon rains missed much of Arizona and New Mexico, allowing drought to spread north and east. Drought conditions got worse in western Utah, northwest Wyoming and southwest Montana.

High Plains
The High Plains show a mixed picture of drought improvement and deterioration. The region’s most significant drought exists across western sections of Colorado and Wyoming. Wyoming’s top-soil moisture was rated 70-percent very short to short.
North Dakota is drought-free, with just a small area of abnormal dryness in the northeast part of the state. Most of the abnormally dry areas in South Dakota saw improvement, but conditions did worsen for the north end of the Sandhills.

In contrast, deep drought persists across western and southern Wyoming and across the entire western half of Colorado, with areas of extreme to exceptional (D3-D4) drought. Numerous wildfires have erupted in these areas, including Colorado’s massive Lee Fire.

Midwest
Rainfall in the Midwest was split last week, with drier than normal weather in the southern and eastern Corn Belt generally contrasted with locally heavy showers farther north and west. Statewide topsoil moisture was rated at least one-half very short to short in Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.

Heavy rains led to some areas of improvement in southwest Michigan, northwest Indiana and northern Illinois, where abnormal dryness and moderate drought (D0-D1) contracted.

Conversely, most of Missouri, southern Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky saw deterioration, with expanding abnormal dryness and moderate drought (D0-D1). A small area of moderate drought (D1) was also added to northwestern Ohio.
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa remained status quo this week and are drought-free.

South
Despite the arrival of heavy rain in parts of Oklahoma, most of the South is experiencing flash-drought conditions. Central and northwestern Oklahoma picked up 3 to 6 inches of rain over the past week. Even with that rain, statewide topsoil moisture was rated 60-percent very short to short in Texas, along with 53-percent in Oklahoma. Meanwhile, topsoil moisture was rated 92-percent very short to short in Arkansas, 63-percent in Tennessee and 53-percent in Mississippi.

Arkansas is undergoing a flash drought, with nearly the entire state now abnormally dry (D0) or worse, and severe drought (D2) emerging in central and northeastern counties. Oklahoma and Texas remain hot and dry, with abnormal dryness and moderate drought (D0-D2) expanding. Mississippi and Louisiana also saw worsening conditions, with drought spreading in both southern and northwestern areas.

Southeast
The Southeast saw mixed changes this week. Most places did see showers at some point over the last week. Some of the heaviest rain though fell from Florida’s Gulf Coast northward to coastal South Carolina. The Southeast also felt some minimal weather impacts from Hurricane Erin, which passed about 200 miles east of the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Most notably, Erin was responsible for rain amounts exceeding 8 inches in downtown Charleston, S.C.!

Scattered showers brought short-term relief to parts of Florida, easing drought in Collier and Monroe counties. However, southeast Florida remains locked in moderate (D1) to extreme (D3) drought due to persistent rainfall deficits and summer heat. Alabama saw areas of improvement. Next door, the state of Mississippi experienced expansion of moderate drought in the northwest and west-central regions.

Northeast
Aside from a band from rain across parts of New York and Pennsylvania into southern New England, mostly dry weather prevailed this week. Consequently, the Northeast saw drought and dryness deteriorate this week, with widespread expansion of abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate drought (D1).

West Virginia saw abnormal dryness (D0) spread across the state, spilling into parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland. New Jersey and New York also worsened, with western New York seeing small pockets of moderate drought (D1) expanding.

In New England, abnormal dryness grew across Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, while Maine experienced above-normal temperatures and the introduction of severe drought (D2) along its southeast coast. Topsoil moisture in agricultural areas was rated at least 55-percent or more very short to short in all six New England states as well as New York.

Looking Ahead
Over the next week, above-normal temperatures are expected to persist across much of the country, especially in the central and southern regions. Limited rainfall is forecast for many drought-stricken areas, which could lead to further deterioration in the South, High Plains, and West. While isolated storms may bring temporary relief to parts of the Midwest and Southeast, sustained improvement is unlikely without broader, consistent precipitation. The risk of wildfires remains high in the West and High Plains, and flash drought conditions may continue to develop in vulnerable regions.

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Source: U.S. Drought Monitor

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